1. Technical Field
The present invention relates to a system, a program, and a method for setting a grid in a layout region and arranging a layout element along the grid, and more particularly, to a layout system, a layout program, and a layout method capable of reducing labor required for a layout operation and making a layout look nice.
2. Related Art
Some layout applications have a grid function of setting a virtual grid in a layout region and arranging a layout element along the grid. The grid is used to define the position of the layout element or to set the size of the layout element to a predetermined value, and is displayed as small grid points in the layout region. When the grid is set, the position or size of the layout element is not continuously changed, and thus the layout element can be set at only the position of the grid or in only the size of the grid. Therefore, it is possible to simply align the ends of the layout elements and an interval between the layout elements by controlling the degree of freedom of the layout, and thus it is possible to make the layout look nice.
For example, JP-A-7-287771 discloses a layout system having a grid function.
In the layout system disclosed in JP-A-7-287771, a layout region is divided into a plurality of regions, and grid information associated with each of the divided regions is stored. Then, when it is required to set the grid information to a predetermined region among the plurality of divided regions, reception of grid information input is carried out, and the grid information of the predetermined region is changed to the input grid information. Then, a grid is displayed in the predetermined region on the basis of the input grid information.
However, various types of layout elements, such as an image and text, exist and different layout operations are performed according to the type of layout element. For example, in the case of text, since the position of characters or rows have an effect on a visual quality, it is necessary to adjust the arrangement of the characters or the rows in the unit of a pitch between the characters and a pitch between the rows, and thus it is preferable that the positions or sizes of the characters or the rows be minutely changed. Similarly, in the case of a table, since the position of a ruled line has an effect on visual quality, it is preferable that the position or size of the ruled line be minutely changed. In contrast, in the case of an image or a figure, in order to make the image or the figure look nice, the image or the figure needs to be exactly aligned. Therefore, in order to prevent positional deviation of the image or the figure due to a minute change in position, it is preferable that the position or size of the image or the figure be roughly changed.
The layout operation depends on the size of the layout element. For example, when the size of the layout element is large, rough position alignment rather than minute position alignment is preferable since exact position alignment makes the layout look nice.
However, in the technique disclosed in JP-A-7-287771, the grid information is changed in only the unit of the divided region. Therefore, when text is arranged, a divided region in which the text will be arranged is determined, and grids are set at a minute interval in the divided region. When an image is arranged, a divided region in which the image will be arranged is determined, and grids are set at a rough interval in the divided region, which results in a complicated layout operation. When the position or type of layout element is changed, it is necessary to perform a setting operation whenever the position or type of the layout element is changed.
In addition, a complicated layout operation should be performed when the size of the layout element is changed. In this case, the user should determine whether the size of the layout element is large or small, and set an interval between grids. Since there is no precise criterion to determine whether the size of the layout element is large or small, the user determines the size of the layout element with his senses or experience.
In the cases of the type and the size of the layout element, the user should determine the interval between the grids by his senses or experience. Therefore, a user who is not accustomed to the layout cannot realize a layout having a good visible quality.